Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and Johnny Lightning 1968-1969 Mercury Cougar's

If there is one vehicle in small scale that I am really getting tired of seeing it's the Mercury Cougar First Generation models.  It's not to say the Cougar is a bad car, it's very cool, but Hot Wheels and Matchbox have done such a nice job with their first versions out of the gate others who try to follow end up making a few mistakes on them.  Here's a few good examples of the best, with an original Topper Johnny Lightning, and the new Hot Wheels 1968 Mercury Cougar race car.

Cougar: The Kitty's Pony Car

The Mercury division finally got a Mustang of their own, in the form of the Cougar.  Based on the hot-selling Mustang, the Cougar offered the same amount of performance found in the Mustang, but with more creature comforts not found on the Mustang.  The razor-like front grille with hidden headlights and matching taillights with Thunderbird-style sequential turn indicators made the Cougar look very aggressive-looking!  The interior looks similar to the Mustang, but uses more wood and less chrome accents compared to the Ford version.  Engines started out with the 290 CID V8 and ended with the 390 CID V8 with four-speed manual or Merc-O-Matic automatic with T-style shift handle.  It's also interesting to note the Cougar has a more noticeable long front/short rear overhangs compared to the Mustang.  Later versions included restyled grille's and the introduction of the Eliminator package, which offered a body kit and several V8's to choose from, including the 428 Cobra Jet and Boss 302, and a few with Boss 429!  In 1971 the Cougar adopted the larger body from the newly-style 1971 Mustang, a precursor to the third-generation that would be based on the Thunderbird.  Final Cougar generation in 1999 morphed in a front-wheel drive coupe based on the discontinued Ford Probe.

The Hot Wheels Cougar's

The first Hot Wheels version was the Custom Cougar and Nitty Gritty Kitty (not shown) in the early Redline era of Hot Wheels.  The first of the stock 1968 Cougar arrived in 2002 and this one was nicely done, slim body, and details inside and out are pretty accurate, along with the addition of a vinyl top and sunroof.  It's interesting to know that the first version in dark green with no decals whatsoever actually was retained for a few variations later on, including this orange version from 2006.  This Cougar has seen some action for HotWheelsCollectors.Com in 2002 including an apology car (in green with HWC.com logo on sides) for those expecting an order that year which never arrived on the behalf of Mattel's fault; that same variation would appear later in yellow in the 2003 line for regular release.  Some other variations on this model include a metal base and an opening hood.

The newest for 2014 is the racing Cougar which features a lower appearance, front and rear spoiler's, flared fenders,  side exhaust, and an interior with racing seats and a roll cage.  It is a tribute to the Trans-Am versions of the late 1960's and looks unique, yet the rear end seems pinched width-wise.

The older Johnny Lightning Eliminator

It's probably not worth mentioning the Hot Wheels 1969 Eliminator because it sits like a lowrider!  Instead take a look at my first Cougar, this 1969 Eliminator based on the Topper slot car before being modified as a Johnny Lightning in 1995 (hence the slot hook on the base after the front wheels).  It looks neat in the green color and the wheels, though not factory correct, look nice as well.  The hood opens up as well.  As usual with these older JL castings they are too tall and proportionally incorrect, but when you look at it from a vantage point in 1995 only Johnny Lightning offered classic muscle cars in 1:64 scale for a reasonable price, so you had to deal with it for a few years until Johnny Lightning came out with newer tools that didn't look like the car was on stilts!

Matchbox 1968 Cougar in three ways!

Matchbox revived the Cougar in 2004 for the first release of  the new Superfast line.  The green color is reminiscent of the original Superfast Cougar back in the late 1960's, right down to the exposed headlights (the only version of the new casting to have this feature).  The classic wheels look right at home on this casting, and just like the Hot Wheels 2002 casting features an abundant of details everywhere in a slim beltline, only on a larger scale than the Hot Wheels version.  In a few releases later the Superfast Cougar reappears in yellow with the (ick!) modern superfast 5-spoke wheels and again with a unique feature: a hood scoop separate from the body.  Sadly both features were not carried over in the regular-line versions, but just like the Hot Wheels version it was clean with no decals except for front grill and rear lighting detailing.  Both the red and blue (shown) was released in the regular line in 2008.

As much as I dislike seeing another Cougar replica, the first generation Cougar is still a sleek car.  Just please don't replicate this model so often everytime!